Lorena Leite has established herself amongst the elite of international football as one of the most dominant goalkeepers on the planet.

Well established in US football with Kansas City Current and firmly established as the undisputed first-choice goalkeeper for the Brazilian senior national team, her current form has seen her nominated for the 2026 Ballon d'Or.

However, before tasting glory, the Brazilian goalkeeper had to face an athlete’s worst nightmare.

The hardest blow: The injury that derailed her World Cup dream

In March 2023, just a few months before the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, where she was set to feature as Brazil’s star goalkeeper, she suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

The injury not only ruled her out of the tournament, but also forced her to undergo a gruelling rehabilitation process lasting almost a year.

“Unfortunately, I ended up missing a major tournament in 2023, but I’m very happy to be back and able to help the team,” Lorena said some time later, reflecting on that enforced break.

A golden comeback: Triumph at Paris 2024

Far from showing any signs of rust from her time off the pitch, Lorena returned to goalkeeping form at the very highest level. Her true test came at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where she proved to be an insurmountable wall.

At that tournament, she saved a decisive penalty against Japan, kept a clean sheet against Nigeria and made crucial saves against powerhouses such as France and Spain to guide Brazil to the silver medal.

That dominance from the penalty spot and on set pieces was no fluke. Sol Farias, the goalkeeping coach who worked closely on her development, explained the key to her performance.

“Lorena has always enjoyed working hard. We always study the penalty-takers, but she is able to read their body language very well,” he acknowledged in an interview with FIFA.

In the same vein, Farias also praised the mentality with which she overcame surgery to return in the best form of her life.

“Regardless of the results, she has been outstanding. She is resilience personified. Coming back after tearing a cruciate ligament requires a great deal of patience. Lorena has always been very dedicated and disciplined. She came back even better,” she said.

A golden year and a nomination for the ‘Ballon d'Or’

All this resilience not only saw her return to the pitch at her very best, but also ultimately made her the key player in Brazil’s victory in the 2025 Copa América.

In a dramatic final against Colombia that was decided on penalties, Lorena once again demonstrated her greatest strength: she saved the decisive penalty in the shoot-out and secured the continental title for Brazil.

Her leadership between the posts and her decisive saves throughout the continental tournament confirmed that the nightmare of her injury was well and truly behind her.

It is this extraordinary resilience, combined with her consistency at the highest international level, that fully justifies her nomination for the 2026 ‘Ballon d'Or’ award.